On May 22, the U.S. Department of
Education (ED) released draft requirements for the Race to the Top for
Districts Competition (RTT-D). ED will
award $400 million to 20 applicants. The number of students participating in
the program will determine funding. ED
may issue grants of up to $25 million. Applicants may be a part of a State that won a
Race to the Top grant in prior competitions.
To provide a helpful summary of
the program’s details, the team at Whiteboard advisors developed a one-page overview and detailed summary of the new competition. Read more

This month’s survey focused on a number of recent federal policy
issues, including the first round of ESEA waivers, congressional appropriations
to reform the teaching profession, labor-management collaboration, and student
loan interest rates. Read more

Early-childhood education is emerging as a
contentious policy issue in states and Washington and as an opportunity for
education investors and non-profits. The Obama Administration has launched a
number of initiatives advancing early childhood education ranging from
reforming Head Start to the release of the Race to the Top Early Learning
Challenge Grant winners. We asked Insiders for their thoughts on the
effectiveness of these reforms, the support in Congress for expanding early
childhood education initiatives, the likelihood for additional funding, and
where the greatest opportunities are for providers in the next several years.

We also have introduced several new tracking
questions to the survey including if the Race to the Top Assessment coalitions
are on the "right track" or "wrong track" and if support
for the Common Core is increasing or decreasing among key constituencies and
thought leaders.

Join Andy Rotherham and John Bailey for a
discussion of this month's survey results. Sara Mead, an early learning
policy expert from Bellwether Education Partners, will join them for the
conversation and be available for your questions.